Lowe's expands Iris as competition in connected home space heats up

Lowe's has launched new products for its Iris smart home solution. The move comes three weeks after Staples threw its hat into the connected home space with its own platform.



The home improvement company has added a smart garage door controller, electronic pet door, window blinds controller and hose faucet timer to make it easier to cut energy costs, reduce water usage and keep the home secure while consumers balance active summer schedules.



Iris, which made its debut in 2012, gives consumers a single user interface that lets them monitor, control and customize a wide range of devices in and around the home. The new products join the 50 existing devices, which include security cameras, smoke detectors and water leak detectors. Iris offers the ultimate smart home experience with brand name products consumers already know and trust, including General Electric, Kwikset, Schlage, Whirlpool, Orbit Irrigation Products and PetSafe. Iris' open platform also supports dozens of other Zigbee and Z-Wave-enabled devices.



"Iris is a simple and affordable smart home solution that helps makes homes safer, more energy efficient and easier to manage. We offer the most extensive array of connected products on the market that can be easily customized to meet consumers' needs," said Kevin Meagher, Lowe's VP and GM, Smart Home. "These new products add more value to the smart home offering with new ways to improve home security and manage energy costs with DIY solutions to give our customers peace of mind year-round."



The four new Iris-compatible products — Z-Wave garage door opener remote command controller with tilt sensor, PetSafe electronic SmartDoor, Iris motorized window blinds controller and orbit hose faucet water timer — can be monitored and controlled anytime, anywhere from a computer, smartphone or tablet and are available in Lowe's stores, nationwide.



Lowe's touts itself as the first company to target the mass consumer market with a broad home automation solution and the first to introduce a truly open platform that allows devices across its stores to connect with one another.